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Carved in Stone

Dario Rossi is a prominent sculptor who left his home in Carrara, Italy, to work in Elberton. Rossi designs and carves primarily on grave markers, embellishing them with images of Jesus, the Star of David, or angels. Rossi has been devoted to his art and worries that classical sculpture is dying out.

Support Materials

Discuss

1. Why does someone have to apprentice themselves to a carver?

2. What other Georgia economic activities rely on craftsmen? Which ones of these are being replaced by technology?

Expansion

1. Create a table that lists the monuments in their community. The table should include a description of the monument, its location, its composition such as granite, marble, or bronze, and a copy of its inscription. Monuments may be located on the town square, near a public building, in a park or at a church or school.

Vocabulary

granite: hard, durable igneous rock composed of feldspar and quartz with specks of darker minerals, often used for buildings and monumentssculptor: one who forms a figure or design by carving or chiseling stone or marble, modeling in clay or wax, or casting in bronze or a similar metalCarrara: a city in northwestern Italy, near Florence, noted for its white marbleapprentice: a beginner in a trade or art; is usually so classified for a specified period of time, during which he works with skilled workers for reduced pay while he learns a trade

For Teachers

Discussion Guide

1. Why does someone have to apprentice themselves to a carver?In order to learn how to carve and do it well, one must work with someone who knows how to work with different materials: marble, granite, stone, clay, wax, etc. This person would teach the young apprentice all he knows and guide them in the correct and best way to display his/her talent.

2. What other Georgia economic activities rely on craftsmen? Which ones of these are being replaced by technology?The marble industry employs craftsmen to either carve tombstones or to craft countertops for homes and businesses. Both of these rely on computer technology to keep costs competitive. The pulpwood industry - the cutting of trees to manufacture both building materials and paper - is a large part of Georgia's economy. The use of technology also keeps this industry competitive. These industries must employ craftsmen in order to set up the technology used in each. Claxton Fruitcake and Bobs Candy also employ more technology than craftsmen to compete with other similar products. Students may also know of industries in your area that require craftsmen (or have in the past) and now use technology in order to keep costs competitive.